A KEIGHLEY brewery has dedicated a special beer to volunteers who look after Keighley’s urban river.

The River Worth Friends ale has been created by Wishbone Brewery to help spread the word about efforts to protect the river’s lower reaches.

The beer was released by Wishbone as the Friends teamed up with other residents of the ‘Keighley Valley’ area to clear rubbish from the riverbanks and nearby streets.

The Litter Pick and River Clean attracted residents from Dalton Lane and as far away as Spring Bank, Damens, Oakworth, Haworth and Bingley.

They were supported in their efforts by Keighley Big Local, the Keighley Valley’s regeneration body, and the volunteer-run Aire Rivers Trust.

Big Local coordinator Shaun O’Hare said the aim of the partnership was to raise awareness of the river – which joins the River Aire a few hundred yards downstream – and keep Dalton Lane and Chesham Street tidy.

He said: “Adrian Chapman owns Wishbone Brewery and is keen to support and champion the litter problem on Dalton Lane.

“All the volunteers enjoyed a complementary pint and snack from De Cafe in Dalton Lane afterwards.

“As well as raising the profile of the river, the River Worth Friends aim to connect activity along the watercourse and create good links with active partners in the local area.

“It’s particularly relevant to link with activity in the Worth Valley, where the River Worth originates from the tributaries that feed Watersheddles Reservoir.

“This is because what happens in the head waters of the River Worth has an impact on the Keighley Big Local area.”

Big Local, run by a committee of local residents, is spending more than £1 million of National Lottery cash on innovative improvement projects over a 10-year period.

The regeneration programme is benefitting neighbourhoods including lower Riddlesden, Stockbridge, Worth Village, Dalton Lane, Parkwood, Hainworth Wood, Wesley Place and parts of Ingrow.

The River Worth Friends recently announced their 2019 programme of talks, events and practical action.

This will include a River Worth ecology talk at the Cobbles and Clay, Main Street, Haworth, on June 19 from 7-9pm.

There will be a River Worth family day in September 22 from 10am to 2pm.

On November 9 from noon till 4pm Wishbone Brew will host a River Dynamics JBA Trust demo, which will set out to illustrate the key principles of river management.

Vist keighleybiglocal.org.uk or the River Worth Friends’ Facebook page for further information on the efforts to protect the Worth.